Deepak's Decision
by XachMustel
Summary: 101 Dalmatian Street. Deepak has grown into a teenager while his mentor's life draws to a close. Will he choose to stay with his family or leave the nest to follow in Constantin's footsteps?
1. Tough Choice

Many years had passed since the Dalmatian family moved to their home on 101 Dalmatian Street. Doug and Delilah were now beginning to grow grey fur while older pups like Dylan, Dolly and Dante were all now fully grown adults. Younger pups like Dizzy, Dee Dee and Diesel were all transitioning into preteens. Dorothy had recently gotten her first spots and was beginning to speak in full sentences.

A yellow oak tree leaf drifted through the wind and landed on Constantin's head as he sat next to Deepak, the both of them meditating side-by-side. Deepak had a notable growth spurt and it really showed, perhaps his organic diet had something to do with it. He was far more muscular than he was as a pup and was even a head taller than Doug in terms of physical size. Despite his intimidating physique, Deepak was still his same old self. Sweet, gentle as a lamb, easily spooked, emotionally fragile and always trying to channel his inner cat with Guru Miaow. One physical aspect of Deepak that never changed besides his distinct fur pattern were his big, soft eyes. Those beautiful, warm brown eyes of his could still melt even the coldest of hearts.

"Hmph. Seems like autumn is here already. Oh, how I despise fall." Constantin groaned in annoyance.

"Why's that, master?" Deepak asked, raising an eyebrow, "The way the leaves change on the trees, it's so beautiful and quite a sight to behold."

"It reminds me of my own mortality." Constantin replied, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, my teenage protege but I'm getting old. My muscles are weakening and my heart is slowing day by day. It won't be long until my final hour. You've grown to be very strong and quite intelligent for a dog. It warms my old heart to see a canine so devoted to the teachings of Guru Miaow."

"So...you're dying?" Deepak asked softly, eyes slowly filling up with tears, "Master, I..."

Constantin closed his eyes and hung his head, "I remembered when you were so small I could pick you up and carry you on my back with ease. And now you tower above me. Time is such as funny thing, is it not my sweet youngling?"

Deepak watched as a tear escaped Constantin's eye and rolled down his muzzle, sliding to the very tip of his whisker. It was a sight that was almost surreal. His grumpy mentor never, ever cried. Sniffling, Constantin continued speaking, "Out of all my proteges, you're the most special one of all. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Deepak asked softly, his own tears beginning to fall.

"You've taught me how to care about all creatures, even dogs. All my other students look down upon dogs but you love all creatures equally. Deepak, you are without a doubt the most purest of heart pupil I've ever had. There are times when I've envied your generosity. It doesn't matter if it was a cat, dog or mouse in trouble, you would gladly welcome them with open arms. I've been so blind that if Guru Miaow himself saw me now, he would hang his head in shame. I've spread so much hatred towards canines that I do not deserve to be in this position of power. My rule with an iron fist will soon come to a close and your gentle paw shall help lift the heavy atmosphere I created. My protege, I would like to give you a choice and I want you to think deeply about it. The local Guru Meow community would become far more accepting and progressive with you in power. Perhaps it is time for a change. So when I die, I'll bestow everything I have to you. However, you'll have to move into my place in order to take care of all my worldly possessions and help look after my house so it doesn't fall to shambles. I know you love your family very much but I don't want to keep you from your loved ones." Constantin reached into his soft fur and pulled out a key, handing it to Deepak, "This is the spare key to my house. If I don't answer when you push the doorbell, it means that I have crossed over. When you find my body, I want you to lay me to rest in the river with no flashy funeral ceremony whatsoever. After the disgusting way I've treated your kind, I don't deserve it. If you feel the need to cry after my death, cry into my koi pond. My fish are quite fond of the taste of canine tears."

"You're such a sadist." Deepak chuckled sarcastically as he rubbed the tears out of his eyes and attached the spare key to his collar, "But you're also the best mentor I could ever ask for."

The two of them smiled softly at each other before bowing, "Namaste."

A few weeks had passed since that special meeting. The pups began to notice that Deepak was becoming sadder and sadder as the days passed. Many things weighed deeply on his mind as his magic, relaxing touch weakened considerably. It seemed like his chi was drowned out in a mist of sorrow as he closed his eyes and fought back tears at the thought of his beloved mentor dying. A lanky, stick-thin figure emerged from the shadows and placed a paw upon Deepak's muscular forearm. Blinking his tearful eyes, the yin-yang faced teen turned and came face to face with Dante who was now about 2 heads shorter than he was. Even upon growing into adulthood, he had never gotten out of his goth phase. As a matter of fact, he embraced it even more with his new hooded vanta black cloak in addition to his spiked collar. Dante's dark snout was long, slender and pointed much like Delilah's and he had little to no muscle mass unlike Deepak who had practically hulked out. Taking a deep breath, the goth spoke up, "I can sense your aura is off. A dark cloud hangs above your head."

Deepak sighed and hung his head, "How long do you think Constantin has before he..."

"Dies?" Dante replied, finishing Deepak's sentence, "At least a week but at most, 4 or 5 months. Listen Deepak, I know it sounds harsh but sooner or later, you're gonna have to face it that your mentor's not gonna live forever."

Dante was met with silence from Deepak's end which was only broken by a choked sob from the massive beast. The goth frowned as he watched Deepak's ears wilt and tears start forming in his eyes, "Just live your life like you normally do from day-to-day. Being depressed is kinda my thing, so try and cheer up a bit."

Chuckling a bit, Deepak wiped his tears away and pulled his scrawny, gothic brother into a warm and comforting hug, "Thank you for your kind words, Dante. Namaste."

Dante smiled, surprised how light and gentle Deepak's hug was for his now enormous size. He relaxed a bit in his younger brother's arms before speaking up, "So when's your next rainbow rhythm breath class?"

The huge pup slowly shook his head, "Whenever my heart feels whole again..."

Slowly, Dante weaseled his way out of Deepak's arms and slinked back into the shadows, "Try and stay positive, okay? None of us want to see you hurting like this."

Deepak breathed a sad sigh and slowly walked away in the other direction. That was easier said than done. Heading out the door, Deepak made his way to the next door flat. Closing his eyes, he pressed his paw to the doorbell and rang Constantin's doorbell. He waiting at the doorstep for a good 10 minutes. Biting his lip, the yin-yang faced giant fumbled for the spare key and shakily inserted it into the key slot of his feline neighbor's flat. Turning the key, Deepak nudged the door open and was greeted to an empty house.

Making his way into the main room, Deepak passed by the Wow Of Miaow and various rooms with new age knick knacks. Eventually, he came across a door at the end of the hallway. Constantin's bedroom. Slowly, he turned the knob and was greeted to a sight that made his heart shatter even further. Laying in his bed was the pale and motionless body of his beloved mentor. Deepak immediately ran up to him to try and check his pulse for vital signs but he was as stiff as a board and cold as ice itself. Tears welling up, Deepak buried his face into Constantin's soft fur and started choking back muffled sobs. All the tearful behemoth could do was just hold his deceased mentor in his arms and cry until he felt like he had no tears left to shed.

Sadly, Deepak draped Constantin's lifeless body over his back and carried him out. As soon as he set foot outside, he noticed that it was dark out and the moon was in the sky. Sighing, he walked all the way down the street and made his way towards the river where he lay his mentor's body by the water's edge. He stared at the moon's reflection in the water before smiling sadly at Constantin's face, "You're in the loving paws of the great Guru Miaow now, master. Nothing in this cold, hard world will ever hurt you again. You'll always live on in my heart and I am eternally grateful to have been your protege. Rest in peace, Constantin. I love you. Namaste." And with that, Deepak pushed his master's corpse into the river and watched as it flowed downstream, a new batch of tears slipping down his face.

Drying his face and sniffling softly, Deepak turned tail and started heading back when he felt a pair of eyes watching him. Turning around, the zen dog came face-to-face with Fergus, "Boo!"

Deepak let out a yelp of terror, his heart pounding in his chest, "Don't you EVER scare me like that again, Fergus!"

"Sorry." The fox laughed in response before scanning the hulking beast of a dalmatian up and down, "Wait a minute...is that you, Deepak?"

"I...I think so." Deepak nodded, trying his hardest to smile so he wouldn't appear gloomy to the fox, "In a physical or spiritual sense? Cause spiritually, I haven't been feeling myself lately."

"Oh my dog, what on Earth have you've been eating? You're so jacked up and HUGE!" Fergus squealed with delight, "Can I feel your muscles? Can I? Can I? Can I?"

Deepak flinched a bit, a blush forming on his face, "Um...well, I've been eating a diet of organic raw food kibble and drinking vitamin rich mineral water. Also, I had a bit of a growth spurt in case you couldn't tell."

"So can I-"

"Yes, you have my permission to feel my muscles." Deepak nodded with a warm smile.

Grinning, Fergus placed a paw on Deepak's biceps and squeezed, "Holy cow, this is pure power you're packing in those guns of yours. I bet you could rip somebody's head off with little to no effort."

Deepak couldn't help but chuckle bashfully, "Luckily, I'm a pacifist so me ripping somebody's head off would be extremely unlikely."

Both the zen dog and fox burst into laughter before Deepak's mood sunk back into sadness and his ears wilted. Frowning, Fergus removed his paw from Deepak's arm and took a closer look at the dalmatian's face, "Wait a minute...your eyes are all puffy and your cheeks are all wet. Have you been crying, lad? Is something bothering you?"

Deepak slowly shook his head, "I...I really don't want to talk about it, Fergus. Thinking about it hurts too much."

"Okay. Well, if you ever need to get something off your chest, you're uncle Fergus is here for you." The fox replied, his own ears wilting a bit in sadness.

"Thanks." Deepak replied glumly, "But I just need some time to be alone. I've got so much to think about."

And with that, the Dalmatian walked away. Now that Constantin was dead, what was he going to do? Stay with his beloved family or take over Constantin's position as mentor? Both choices involved making a sacrifice that would hurt. By becoming mentor, that would mean leaving his house and family and moving into a quiet, dead flat but if he stayed with his family, he would have disgraced Constantin and the neighborhood cats' attitude towards dogs would stay as negative as ever. Poor Deepak had never been faced with a more difficult choice in his life but he knew he had to make up his mind sooner than later.


	2. Saying Goodbye

The next day, Deepak stayed in his bed and like usual, went unnoticed by most of his family. The day seemed unusually peaceful as his healing paws weren't required to calm everybody down. Dante was chilling in his dark corner, reading an HP Lovecraft book instead of screaming his head off about the apocalypse. Dawkins was happily watching a science documentary on his iPad instead of freaking out over a missing puzzle piece. Dorothy was nibbling slowly on a chew toy instead of biting a table leg. The serene atmosphere before him only made Deepak's choice much easier. He blinked back the bittersweet tears at the sound of peace. On the bright side, the house had mellowed out as most of the pups had gotten older and more mature but on the flipside, Deepak knew that his services were no longer needed and he felt like his phantom presence was unnecessary. He slowly shook his head while muttering to himself, "You've all grown up so fast. Guess my work here is done."

The rest of the day was an ocean of calm in the house. No one really seemed to noticed Deepak's depressed mood with the exception of Dolly and Dante. Later in the evening, all the pups gathered around the main dining area where Dolly watched Deepak closely the whole time. He just stared down at his organic food, not eating a single bite and he looked like he was about to burst into tears at any second.

Suddenly, the silence was broken when Deepak stood up, "I'm so sorry, I just...need some space. I'm not feeling hungry at all."

And with that, Deepak excused himself from the table. Dolly opened her mouth to try and speak but Dylan silenced his sister before she could utter a syllable, "He needs to be alone, Dolly. Don't you even think of following him!"

Dolly groaned in irritation yet complied. Meanwhile, Deepak had left the house and made his way to Constantin's koi pond where he lay down and just left himself cry. The rest of the dinner lasted about 45 minutes before Dolly decided to go against Dylan's advice and check in on her younger brother.

Dolly looked over to where Deepak was laying by Constantin's koi pond and watched as her gentle giant of a brother stared deep into the water as if lost in thought. Walking through the hole in the fence separating the properties, Dolly made her way into Constantin's yard and headed towards Deepak. As she approached him, she noticed that Deepak had tears running down his snout as he stared into the pond. The sunset illuminated Deepak's tears as they dripped off the rims of his nostrils and plopped into the crystal clear water, rippling his reflection upon impact.

Dolly chuckled a bit to herself as she stepped right next to him, placing a paw on her younger brother's shoulder, "You know, I'm no expert in fish care but I don't think those freshwater koi fish would like it if you added those salty tears of yours into their pond, Deepak." She attempted to lighten the mood but was met by silence on the other end, "Um...Deepak, you okay?"

"Constantin just passed away last night." Deepak replied glumly, wiping his tears from his snout with his massive paws, "So i've been crying for almost an hour into this pond. Apparently, my mentor's fish enjoy the taste of dog tears."

Dolly's heart sunk at the response, "Oh, Deepak. I'm so sorry, I...I had no idea. I mean, I don't really miss him all that much but-"

Dolly stopped talking when she noticed Deepak staring at her with big, sad eyes which were clearly bloodshot from crying. She cleared her throat and coughed a bit, "Right. Shutting up now."

Deepak sighed and hung his head, letting a couple more tears dribble down his snout from his gentle brown eyes, "Don't be so hard on yourself, Dolly. I understand that my mentor's death hasn't had any effect on you whatsoever. As a matter of fact, I think I'm the only dog in Camden Town effected by it."

Reaching forward, Dolly gently wiped Deepak's tears away and pulled him into a close hug, "Bro, if you're effected by his death than so am I. If it really means that much to you, I'll be there to go to his funeral for you."

"There won't be any funeral." Deepak replied sadly, "Constantin told me that he doesn't deserve one for the way he's treated dogs so I'm going to have to respectfully decline."

"Oh, Deepak." Dolly replied softly, blinking back her own tears as she rubbed her younger brother's back, "If there's anything you need, I'll be there for you, big guy."

"Dolly, I've made a decision and it's not an easy one." Deepak bit his lip as even more tears spilled out of his eyes, "Tonight's going to be my final night in our house. I've noticed just how much you've all grown and calmed down. All those little things I do to calm everyone down aren't needed anymore. Of course, I'll be holding a rainbow rhythm breath class every Sunday just to make sure everyone's up to speed and so long as I'm not in the middle of teaching a yoga class to the neighborhood cats, I'll be open to help any one of you out with your problems."

"I'll tell the rest of the house. Tomorrow, we'll be throwing a going away party." Dolly nodded with a laugh, "Even if you're only moving next door."

Smiling, the two bowed before one another and let out a "Namaste" in unison.

The next day, a huge celebration was thrown. The Dalmatian Street house was filled with Guru Miaow banners and scented candles as all 98 of Deepak's siblings plus his parents all gathered to send him off to his new life. A huge organic kibble cake in the shape of Guru Miaow lay on the dining room table while all the dogs had yin-yang themed party hats strapped to their heads. There was a large commotion but then Deepak raised his paws and clapped them together, "And...breathe..."

As if by magic, the room calmed down as Deepak raised a paw to speak, "Today is a very bittersweet day and I can say that I'm going to miss all of you. However, goodbye isn't forever. You will see me every Sunday for a weekly Rainbow Rhythm Breath class. You have no idea just how proud I am of each and every last one of you. You've grown up and learn to tame your inner beasts so with a heavy heart, I must say that my work here is done. I made a promise to my mentor and it's a promise that I intend to keep. From here on out, I will be following in his pawsteps and setting a good example for the Guru Miaow community by teaching them to respect not only cats but dogs as well. I love you all and you're the best family I could ever hope to have. Let the festivities commence. Namaste."

The massive ying-yang faced teen bowed with surprising grace and everyone dug into the organic kibble cake. Everyone had a fun time and laughter and joy spread throughout the house as Deepak smiled at all the sights around him. By the time the party died down, Deepak had said his goodbyes to most of his siblings and gave each one a hug. Now the only siblings left to say goodbye to were the 17 big name siblings and his parents.

DJ was the first one up. Most notably, he had also gotten more muscular since aging into a teenager but still had that same chill expression he always had on his face, "Yo, Deepak. Made a mix tape of some relaxing rainforest sounds just like you asked. Hope you enjoy it."

DJ and Deepak shared a fist bump and Deepak pulled his musician brother into a warm hug as he accepted the tape, "Thank you, DJ. Best of luck to you in your music career."

They released the hug and Deepak approached Da Vinci next. His artistic sister had grown quite beautiful and elegant yet was still a vibrant and colorful tomboy. Most notably, she had since traded in her bandanna for a multicolored scarf which she was using to dry a few tears from her long muzzle, "Oh, Deepak. I'm going to miss you so much."

Deepak wrapped his arms around Da Vinci and gently rubbed her back, "Do not cry, dear sister for you have plenty of paintings of me to immortalize my likeness. Besides, I'm just moving next door."

"You're the best muse I could ever ask for." Da Vinci choked out, "Always so good at staying still on your pillow. Delgado, on the other paw..."

"Hey!" Delgado grumbled, crossing his arms in irritation.

Chuckling a bit, Deepak released his hug from Da Vinci and turned his attention to Delgado. He placed his paw upon the paraplegic pup's forehead and stroked his temples, calming him down a bit, "Delgado, you're the fastest pup I know. Just remember to pace yourself a little and life will have many rewards for you in store."

"If you say so." Delgado slowly nodded as Deepak moved away and approached Dawkins. The young inventor pup was now around Dylan's age and sported a pair of goggles on his forehead alongside a really cool new holographic atom collar. Even as he aged, he was still one of the shorter pups of the bunch.

"Ummmmm..." Dawkins stared blankly at Deepak and the yin-yang faced teen smiled warmly at him.

"You don't need to say anything, Dawkins. I know goodbyes aren't really your thing, I just wish you the very best. Go out and make the world a better place with your inventions. That big brain of yours is a gift and you're the best scientist I've ever known." Deepak pulled Dawkins into a hug and the inventor's eyes flooded with tears as he choked back a happy whimper.

"Oh, kibbles. My lacrimal glands are on the fritz, I promised myself I wouldn't cry." Dawkins wailed as hot, salty tears rolled down his muzzle. He buried his face into Deepak's arm and just sobbed his eyes out.

"Just let it all out, Dawkins. Even geniuses need to cry sometimes." Deepak replied as he cuddled his sobbing inventor brother for a bit before Dawkins calmed to a light sniffle and he released the hug.

Whimpering a little, Dawkins dried his eyes with his paws as Deepak turned his attention over to Diesel. The messy, chubby pup barely even changed aside from his now larger size as he gave Deepak a big, dopey smile, "Hey Deepak, next time you do your Rainbow class, can we do it underground?"

"So you want to be one with the earth, hmmm? Interesting idea. I'll take a note of that." Deepak laughed, giving Diesel a pat on the head, "You're a fun soul, Diesel. Never lose that smile, it'll take you far in life."

Diesel giggled goofily in response as Deepak approached Triple D, all of whom were wearing matching Liberace style glitter capes. He smiled at them, "The three of you were right, making commercials is much harder than it sounds."

"You got that right." Dallas replied sassily, wagging her finger.

"So like I have a question, Deepak." Destiny began, "Do you like, think you'll become like a famous world leader or something as the first dog teacher of Guru Miaow?"

"That would be nice but I'd be much happier without the price of fame above my head. But in case I DO become famous, promise you won't touch the fur." Deepak winked at the trio.

"Oh, we totes respect your personal space, bro." Dallas giggled.

Just then, Deja Vu abruptly burst into tears, "I'LL MISS YOU SO MUCH!"

"US TOO!" Dallas and Destiny followed suit, now crying as well.

With his massive arms, Deepak scooped the triplets into a big hug to comfort them. They accepted the hug and sobbed for a couple minutes before he set them back down again to face the Dimitris. The three had since grown a bit and were now in their teens. Furthermore, each one wore a different colored hoodie so they could be told apart easier. Dimitri 1 wore a gold hoodie, Dimitri 2 wore a silver one and Dimitri 3 wore a brown one.

"Oi, kitty." Dimitri 1 raised his paw and pointed at Deepak. The yin-yang faced dog groaned and rolled his eyes, "What is it this time?"

"You're the most awesome cat bro ever!" Dimitri 2 replied, earning a high five from 1 and 3.

"Congrats on becoming a teacher." Dimitri 3 added, "We know you're gonna kick butt!"

Deepak couldn't help but smile at the troublemaking trio, "Thanks, you three aren't so bad yourselves."

He walked by and gave a fist bump to each one and then Dimitri 1 cleared his throat and spoke up, "One last time, could you cough up a hairball for us?"

"Okay, but only just one." Deepak took a few steps back and hacked up an enormous black and white hairball.

"So cool!" Dimitri 2 cheered.

"Can we play with it?" Dimitri 3 asked, wagging his tail.

"I don't see why not." Deepak shrugged and the trio grabbed the hairball and started playing catch with it. He then stood in front of Dante and smiled, "You know, Dante. If the end of the world really does happen, at least we'll all go down together as a family."

Dante nodded in response with a genuine smile, "Wouldn't want it any other way."

They gave each other a fist bump and a quick hug before Dante spoke again, "So how are you feeling?"

"I'm still a bit sad over my mentor's death but I'll get over it. I'm much more resilient than I look. I bounce back pretty easily after a meditation session." Deepak smiled at the goth.

Dante nodded, adjusting his cloak a bit, "Well, I hope the best for you. Sure wish I could make a difference in the world like you."

Deepak placed a paw on Dante's black shoulder, "Just keep on trying, one day you'll find your calling."

"Thanks, man."

Dylan slowly approached Deepak and looked up at him with big, watery eyes. Deepak blinked a few times, "Dylan..."

"I...I...I'M SO SORRY!" Dylan was practically bawling as he threw himself into Deepak's chest and sobbed nearly 10 times harder than Dawkins did previously.

"I beg your pardon?" Deepak gasped in confusion, "What's the matter, Dylan? Why are you apologizing?"

"I..." Dylan choked out, tears running freely down his face, "I was such a terrible, terrible jerk to you. Th-that time I dragged you away from your meditation session a-against your will or the time when I t-turned my back on you when you were infected by f-fleas and especially, ESPECIALLY that time I insulted your religious p-p-practices...oh, Deepak. I'm a complete failure of a big brother...I don't...I I don't...DESERVE A BROTHER LIKE YOU!"

Dylan pressed his face to Deepak's chest and unleashed a practical flood of tears and was crying so hard at this point, he was actually hyperventilating. Even as an adult dog, Dylan was crying even harder than Dizzy or Dee Dee whenever they had nightmares as puppies. Deepak knew exactly what to do. Gently stroking Dylan's back, he opened his mouth and spoke softly to his older brother, "Breathe, Dylan. Breathe."

Gradually, Dylan's sobs died down and Deepak cupped his face, tenderly wiping Dylan's tears away with his paws, "I want you to listen to me Dylan and I want you to listen closely. You're the best big brother I could ever ask for. As I recall, you cared enough about me to want to put yourself through 99 tests of intense torture just so you could bring me back. I know we don't see eye-to-eye most of the time but I wouldn't trade you for any other big brother in the world."

Sniffling, Dylan gazed into Deepak's eyes with a relaxed look on his face and nodded slowly, "So...I guess this is goodbye, huh Deepak?"

"Well, I won't be sleeping in this house anymore." Deepak replied as he continued to stroke Dylan's back, "But this time, it's not your fault, Dylan. It's just the way thing are. You understand, right?"

"Mmmmhmmmm." Dylan nodded as one last tear fell from his chin.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, big brother." Deepak soothed, pulling away from Dylan, "You have enough stress looking after all of us."

Deepak then turned his attention to face Dolly. She opened her arms for a hug and the zen pup accepted her embrace, the two of them wrapping their arms around each other. Dolly shut her eyes, happy tears forming and running down her cheeks as she rested her head upon Deepak's shoulder. Deepak could feel Dolly's body tremble with sobs and her tears falling upon his fur. He couldn't help but smile, "Dolly, are you...crying?"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." Dolly replied, a huge smile on her own face, "I just have something in my eye."

"Dolly, you have the most dynamic spirit of anyone I know." Deepak started cuddling his sister, "You can tackle just about anything life throws at you. I'm so honored to have an amazing sister like you."

"Stop it! S-s-stop it!" Dolly was now openly sobbing, "It...it's so stupid! Only little puppies cry but I'm an adult!"

Deepak squeezed Dolly even tighter, "Tears aren't a sign of weakness, dear sister. You're the strongest girl I know and I know you'll take the world by storm one day."

"Oh, Deepak...you're making me sick to my stomach with all this mushiness. C-can you at least tone it down just a little bit?" Dolly sniffed, wiping her tears away with her paws.

"As you wish, Dolly."

Deepak released his hug from his tomboyish sister and turned his attention to his parents. Smiling at Doug and Delilah, Deepak felt his own eyes begin to well up a little. Without a word, he ran into their arms and wrapped his arms around both of them in a close hug, "Mum...D-d-d-dad..."

"You have no idea just how much we love you, Deepak." Delilah replied, stroking Deepak's back, "I remember the day you were born, you were the smallest pup in the litter. We didn't think you'd survive for long but as it turns out, you're a living miracle in more ways than one."

Doug had tears dripping down his face as he began to speak as well, "Never in a billion years would I think you'd grow to be taller than your dear old dad. You've done so much for this house to help keep the peace and now you're going to spread your love beyond this house and into the world."

"I...I...don't even know where to begin...I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" Deepak choked out as he cuddled his mom and dad. At this point, literally everybody in the room was crying. Even Dante found himself all choked up and rubbing at his eyes with the cape of his vanta black cloak as the Dimitris blew their noses on Triple D's glittery capes, earning a disgusted reaction from the celebrity pups.

The hug lasted nearly ten minutes before Deepak broke away from his parents and turned to walk out the door when he felt two pairs of paws wrap around his back ankles. Looking down at his feet, he noticed Dizzy and Dee Dee were latched to him like velcro, "PLEASE DON'T GO! We'll miss you too much!"

Tears rolled down the side of Deepak's muzzle as he picked up the twins and nuzzled them, "I'll miss you too, you lovable rascals you."

It was then that Deepak felt something poking at his leg and heard a little voice squeaking, "Hug! Hug! Hug!"

He looked down and noticed Dorothy just begging to be snuggled. The ying-yang faced behemoth of a dog gently picked her up and held her. Deepak couldn't help but laugh when Dorothy started licking his tears away to comfort him. All the love in the room was making his heart swell but he knew that he had to go. Closing his eyes, Deepak breathed a deep sigh, "Today has truly been a milestone for me. A new chapter has opened up in my life and I'm ready to write it. All of you, every last one of you. Thank you for all you've done for me but with now I must go. Namaste, everybody. I'll cherish all the wonderful times we've shared together."

Deepak bowed before his family and his family did the same in return. Turning his back, he tearfully made his way next door to Constantin's empty flat. Closing his eyes, he unlocked the door and made his way inside. Memories of his loving family danced in his head as a massive tidal wave of loneliness crashed down upon him. The only thing that broke the silence was a combination of the creaking of Constantin's Guru Miaow statues and Deepak's gentle sobbing. Even so, he knew it was for the best. A sacrifice had to be made and Deepak made his choice.


	3. Epilogue

Breathing a heavy sigh, Deepak stood in front of his new class of feline pupils in Constantin's back yard, "I know a big change is on the horizon for all of you, my fellow Guru Miaow worshippers. As you can see, Constantin has tragically passed away from old age so I shall stand in his place as your new mentor and teacher."

There was a long silence before the entire class of cats erupted into fits of loud, hysterical laughter. Deepak's ears wilted, "What's so funny?"

"YOU ARE, you BIG DUMB DOG!" An orange cat called out, "Do you seriously believe that YOU'RE good enough to spread the teachings of Guru Miaow looking like THAT?"

"A dog teaching the ways of Guru Miaow?" A calico screeched with laughter, "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard! If you seriously think you can do this then you must be the dumbest dog on the face of the Earth!"

"Yeah!" A tabby chimed in, "Go crawl back to your own kind, chase a few cars and mailmen like nature intended, you delusional freak!"

"Constantin must've been a senile old fool if he made YOU his protege." A black cat added, "Dogs have no place in the house of Guru Miaow. Get lost, you sorry waste of space!"

Every single word pierced at Deepak's soft heart like a dagger and to add injury to insult, the cats all began coughing up hairballs and chucking them at him. Whimpering, Deepak curled into a fetal position to shield himself from the oncoming hairballs before getting up and making a run for it. He dashed through the hole in the fence, somehow managing to squeeze his whole body through and rushed into the backyard of his former home. Once again curling into a ball, Deepak let the river of warm tears stream down his muzzle and sobs shook his massive frame. Immediately, Dolly noticed her trembling brother and rushed to his side, "Bro? What happened?"

"T...they...r-r-r-rejected m-me..." Deepak sobbed into his paws, "I...I'm just...a big...dumb...slobbery...MONGREL!"

Deepak then burst into loud and uncontrollable wailing while Dolly fumed with pure, vitriolic anger, "Oh, THAT'S IT. I'm gonna teach those mangy furballs a lesson if it's the last thing they do!"

"Please don't hurt them!" Deepak whimpered, tears flowing like Niagara Falls, "Violence doesn't solve anything!

"Oh, I'm not gonna hurt them, Deepak." Dolly replied with a wicked grin, "I'm going to MURDER them!"

Deepak tried his best to restrain his sister but Dolly was too quick, parkouring over a trash can and leaping over the fence into Constantin's backyard where the cats were in a hysterical uproar, laughing uncontrollably over Deepak's tears, "OKAY, LISTEN UP YOU DISGUSTING PIECES OF KITTY LITTER!"

The cats stopped laughing and all eyes were now on Dolly as she glared daggers at them, "Do you have ANY idea just how BADLY poor Deepak has SUFFERED? EVERY NIGHT. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. He's cried himself to sleep because YOUR teacher was DYING. And now that he's finally DEAD, all of you have the NERVE to defy your OLD TEACHER'S WISHES and treat his most beloved pupil like GARBAGE just because of that fact that he's a DOG? EVERY LAST ONE of you is a HEARTLESS MONSTER. Deepak has been nothing but KIND and CIVIL to ALL of you. Yet YOU all choose to DRAG HIM THROUGH THE MUD because you're all TOO JEALOUS of the fact that he's CONSTANTIN'S FAVORITE! One more insult. Just ONE MORE insult and I WILL DRIVE my dad's firetruck all the way here and BLAST EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU YARN-CHASING SCUMBAGS TO KINGDOM COME ON THE HOSE'S HIGHEST PRESSURE SETTING IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT DEEPAK AS YOUR NEW MENTOR. DO I MAKE MYSELF PERFECTLY CLEAR?!"

There was a dead silence before the calico spoke up, "But, he's-"

"HIGHEST. PRESSURE. SETTING." Dolly threatened, flames blazing in her eyes.

The cats all gathered whispering to themselves before coming to an agreement. The tabby stepped forward, "All right, we accept but only out of fear."

"Good!" Dolly replied angrily before turning and smiling over at Deepak who was peeking through the hole in the fence, "You can come out now, bro."

Timidly, Deepak crawled his way into the backyard with his ears wilted and his tail tucked between his legs. Whimpering, he made his way to the front of the class before hanging his head and breathing a sigh, "Look, I know we all got off on the wrong paw. I know every last one of you hates my guts because of the way I was born but you know what? Guru Miaow loves all regardless of species. It doesn't matter if it lives on land, sky or sea, all animals on this beautiful planet are created equal. I know I'm just a big, stupid dog but deep down, I've always felt like a cat at heart. Laugh if you want, but that's the way I've always been. Countless times, the Dimitris have bullied me for being different but you know what? I've forgiven them every time. When our family adopted them, they came from an abusive household..." At this point, tears started forming in Deepak's eyes yet again, "I...I still remember them c-crying with j-j-joy when we r-rescued them...they...they had been through so much pain, so much suffering so so so much...t-turmoil...E-excuse me..."

There was a long, awkward pause as Deepak struggled to get his emotions under control and in about 5 minutes, his breathing returned to normal, "I'm so sorry...I just cry every time I think about that story. So as I was saying, every last one of us has experienced pain at some point in our life. I'm willing to bet that we've all been discriminated against in some way, shape or form. Please, stop spreading the hatred. Where is the love? Spread the love for once. Even if you all hate me with ever fiber of your being, I'll gladly help ease your pain if you're hurting. If there's anything you need to say, let your voice be heard for now is the time to say it."

As cheesy as Dolly found Deepak's speech, she could feel tears streaming down her face by the end of it.

There was a silence among the cats before the tabby raised his paw and spoke, "I...I saw my mother get hit by a c-car..."

The orange cat looked down, tears welling up, "When I was a kitten, I almost died in a house fire..."

The calico sighed, "I...escaped from an animal testing lab."

The black cat squeezed his eyes shut as tears rolled down his face, "The...the other cats in my neighborhood b-bullied me for being g-gay..."

"So you see." Deepak sniffed lightly, "Every last one of us is hurting. But you know what? This is going to be a class of healing, a class of love, a class of kindness. We're all here to relax and let all our worries and pain wash away. We're here to find our happy places, not tear each other down. So please, check your discrimination at the door or get out. It's really that simple."

The tabby opened his mouth stammered a bit, "B-but dogs don't teach Guru Miaow cl-"

"Dolly, would you be so kind as to hand me that fallen branch over there?" Deepak asked his big sister politely.

"Sure thing, big little bro." Dolly did as Deepak instructed and handed him the branch. It was a particularly thick one. The cats watched in horror as Deepak snapped the branch clean in two.

There was a silence before Deepak glared at his class, "I am a pacifist by nature but I will not hesitate to defend myself or my loved ones if necessary. I am just as capable of hurting as I am of healing. I am also capable of doing that to bones so you may want to hold your tongue if you are wise. It seriously pains my heart to resort to threats but it seems some animals in this world are a little too thick-skulled to get the message. By rejecting me, you are also rejecting and spitting on the great image of Guru Miaow. He teaches that all animals should be treated equally. By ousting me, you're disrespecting his philosophy."

After an awkward ten seconds, all the cats bowed before their new canine mentor, "Namaste."

Deepak smiled at the way he turned his class around. Dolly patted him on the shoulder, "You're awesome, little bro."

"Thank you for being there for me, Dolly." Deepak said warmly, smiling happily at his sister, "And so, let the class begin!"

And so, the class went on as normal and all the cats apologized over the awful way they treated Deepak. Later that evening, Deepak stood in front of the Wow Of Miaow, cradling Constantin's hairball in his paws. A single, happy tear slid down his nose and fell, absorbing into the hairball of his fallen mentor, "Master, you'll always have a special place in my heart. Namaste." And with that, the ying-yang faced dog hugged the hairball close the his chest for he knew Constantin would always be there to watch over him. The end.


End file.
